Just Leave It to Ruby
by Ayoshen
Summary: Written during a prompt run on my Tumblr; the prompt was "Ruby needs saving. Emma plays the hero."


**Just Leave It to Ruby**

There was a flicker and then several rapid flashes of light before the bulb went off completely and covered the corner of the diner a certain blonde happened to be occupying a booth in in dim darkness.

"Emma! I'm sorry, hang on," Ruby shrieked and disappeared somewhere in a room behind the counter at the speed of a tempest.

"It's okay, I can just sit somewhere else," Emma called out after her, picking up her grilled cheese and scanning the room for a suitable place to move to. There was no problem finding one, really, since she and a drinking Leroy were the only ones still at the diner at this hour. Even Granny (whose name Emma really needed to find out by now, she thought) had gone to sleep about half an hour ago, leaving Ruby to close up. Emma stayed for dinner, though quite frankly she just didn't like the view when everyone else hastily picked up their things and almost tripped over their feet storming out when Leroy came in and ordered his first shot some time ago. She knew the man was normally harmless - incessantly rude, arrogant and reeking of booze, yes, but otherwise harmless - but the idea of what a bottle could do with him rang a warning bell. Especially since he walked in looking extra grumpy today.

But Ruby was already back and setting up a short folding ladder right next to her. "We've had trouble with this one forever," she mumbled, maneuvering her way around Emma and even taking her food a putting it back on the table in the process. "It's mocking me. It always _looks like_ it's working for a few days, but then it dies on me. Hell, I spend half my income on lightbulbs for this, this _bulb devourer_. Bad, bad devourer!"

Emma couldn't stifle a giggle at Ruby pointing a finger and pouting at the ruthless lamp as if it were a living thing. "Why don't you just hire someone to fix it? Preferably in the morning?"

"After the first few times, you learn how to fix it yourself before a new guy can place their order. It's speed that counts in this business, you know? Wouldn't want people leaving on me," Ruby replied, climbing on top of the ladder. She unscrewed the lid and handed it to a bemused Emma, who somehow still wasn't convinced this was necessary, because it wouldn't matter if someone fixed the lamp in the morning. People wouldn't need it then, right?

Like a good little Sheriff (Serve and protect!), Emma handed her the spare lightbulb, graciously diverting her eyes from Ruby's shorts-clad behind, which was basically staring in her face. "Well, hopefully a professional would provide a more permanent solution for this… _problem_ of yours," she smirked when Ruby wasn't looking.

"I can do it!"

Emma sighed - ever since Ruby's little internship at the Sheriff's office, the brunette seemed to have gained a major confidence boost. Which was definitely good, but Emma felt that if she were to hear the same sentence from her one more time, she would choke a puppy. Suddenly, Ruby could do _everything._ Flat tire? Ruby can do it! Can't find your kid? Ruby can do it! A rare bird made a nest on your roof and you can't do anything about it because the kind is protected by law? Just leave it to Ruby; she'll figure something out!

"I've always been more of a do-it-yourself kind of girl," Ruby winked at Emma, dragging her out of her train of thought and onto a different wagon entirely. Oh yes, everyone could see that, alright.

She could hear Leroy chuckle from the other side of the room.

The booth lit up. "There! There!" Ruby clapped a little for herself on the ladder. "See, I told you it was no big de— woah!"

_Oh god why,_ Emma thought as she mentally facepalmed, watching Ruby lose her balance and heroically… fall back first, waving her arms in the air to hold on to something that wasn't there. Emma didn't have time to do the motion in reality, however, because she was too busy making sure Ruby didn't meet the tiles in what could have possibly been a lethal fall. Fortunately for the clumsy waitress, she had lightning reflexes and in the blink of an eye, Ruby found herself landing in something much softer than expected, and also not as cold. It took her a minute to open her eyes out of fear of what she would see. Rest assured, Emma shaking her head at her had not been on her list of mental images of hell.

"You really need to stop saying hop before you've jumped," the blonde pursed her lips before setting her down a little involuntarily (but hey, you try carrying a fully developed werewolf for more than ten seconds).

"Right, yeah," Ruby blushed bright red, straightening her attire, or at least the few parts that exhibited some remote capability of movement. Without a word of warning, she threw her arms around Emma's neck, making her stumble a step backwards. "Thanks, Emma. You're my hero."

"Woah, woah, woah, that's a big title to just start throwing around."

"Okay then, lemur it is," Ruby giggled impishly and ran off with the broken lightbulb before Emma could recover enough to object. She had an idea Emma would be grateful for 'hero' yet. Unless she found out what 'lemur' meant, anyway.


End file.
